


her stature noble and her countenance proud

by merewiowing



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, F/F, Femslash February, One-Sided Attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-02-24
Packaged: 2018-03-15 00:03:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3430478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merewiowing/pseuds/merewiowing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elincia has never been as awed by anyone as she is by the sister of the late king of Crimea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	her stature noble and her countenance proud

They had a choice between stuffing themselves into the corridor and trying to peer through the barely ajar doors and hiding outside the building, just under the windows. They chose the second location, preferring to listen in relative comfort over tripping over each other. This means, however, that they can’t look.

Mist and Rolf seem to be less bothered by this than Elincia. They’re young, they’ve barely paid attention to history or politics if it didn’t directly relate to jobs their families were doing. To her, though, the news is a shock. _The king is dead, and he had a sister._ The crown princess of Crimea is sitting with Commander Greil right now, just a short distance from them. To Elincia, this idea is overwhelming. She had always imagined royalty to be untouchable and unreachable.

The conversation inside turns to employment. This piques the children’s interest – they look at each other and start babbling excitedly. Elincia shushes them, fearing the Commander or Ike will overhear. Everyone inside the room is too occupied to even look in their direction, though, because even during lulls in conversation, Elincia can’t hear as much as footsteps close to their window. This gives her a daring idea. She lifts herself up, just a little, and peers inside the building, careful not to reveal herself.

The princess – Titania, Elincia remembers – is sitting the furthest from the window. Even in this humble room, on a roughly made chair, she looks … Elincia doesn’t have a better word for it than _regal_. Her back is straight, she holds her head high, there is no sign of exhaustion on her face. Despite the escape from the palace and days on the road, she doesn’t seem to have lost any of her pride – not even now, when she has to ask strangers for help. Not even her hair and dress seem to be marred by the dust of the road or the thorns of the thicket where they found her. The white cloth looks immaculate, as if dirt itself was cowed and afraid to touch her.

Elincia has been awed by men and women before, but never like this. She feels like she’s unfit to even look at the princess, like her gaze isn’t worthy to rest on her face. Even hidden like that, she should be bowing her head.

She hears Mist say something about travel preparation, and it snaps her back to the ground. Mist and Rolf are still talking, trying to be quiet though their excitement almost betrays them this time – Elincia hears someone’s footsteps and quickly drags the children aside and presses them as close to the wall as possible. As she holds her breath and waits for the unseen person to walk away, her thoughts wander back to the conversation she has overheard. She hopes Commander Greil will accept the job. If he doesn’t, Elincia might just resign herself from his employment and deliver Princess Titania to Gallia on her own.

Thankfully, it doesn’t come to this. After the Commander announces his decision next morning, she walks up to him and thanks him for it. Greil laughs and says he hadn’t expected her to be so patriotic.

 

They spend a few days preparing to depart. During this time, Elincia can’t bring herself to occupy the same rooms as the princess. She feels, more acutely than before, that she is just a mercenary, barely capable to wield a lance or a sword.

One evening after dinner, Mist tells her that the princess had helped her pack. The girl laughs a little and says it’s a little embarrassing, but the woman reminded her more of a mother or an aunt then. Elincia nods, pretending to understand, and wonders how someone could see Princess Titania as anything but the future queen.

 

The first time she dares to face the princess is when the time comes to cross the border. A decision has been made to split their forces up to fool the Daein soldiers, and before Elincia realizes what words are coming out of her mouth, she volunteers to escort the princess with Mist and Rolf.

Soren raises his eyebrow slightly, unhappy to lose a fighter; Rolf rolls his eyes and says he and Mist would be just fine on their own, and the princess…

Princess Titania looks straight at Elincia and asks, could she ride her pegasus in these woods? Elincia has been leading her mount through the trees for a while, after all, and with apparently great difficulty.

Elincia feels she should be embarrassed, but all shame is smothered by the amazement that oh _Goddess,_ the princess had remembered her name. She hastily explains that she can fight just as well on her feet, she had trained herself in that before obtaining a pegasus. And it would be too risky not to have a real fighter – she glances at Rolf – with you, Your Highness. The princess smiles at her and says she wouldn’t dream of turning Elincia’s offer down, and Elincia’s heart soars.

 

They have rescued crimean prisoners of war. All of them are knights, and when they see the princess, they kneel before her. They all swear to serve her and to help her liberate the nation. Elincia looks at them from a distance, their knees in mud, their helmets in their hands, their heads bowed, and feels a pang of envy. Paid lance or not, she wishes to kneel before her, too. To let the princess know she is ready and willing to serve her far beyond the contract binding Commander Ike to her.

 

Elincia is told that the child empress of Begnion had humiliated the princess in front of the whole senate. The servants gossip about the event in the corridors, they whisper of how Commander Ike yelled at Apostle Sanaki and about how only by her magnanimity he and his companions still have their heads on their shoulders. Every time Elincia overhears these words, her palms curl into fists and she bites her tongue. She doesn’t know what the commander had said, what really happened and what’s an exaggeration, but she feels – she knows – that if she had been standing there with him, she would have been yelling along. Nobody has the right to insult Princess Titania, not even another monarch. She imagines the older woman standing there among the senators, her face not even twitching, her posture as calm and statuesque as always. Her lips sealed shut as she endured every abuse. Just the thought of it makes Elincia flush with anger.

Soon, they find themselves doing work for the Apostle. The princess has allowed it, so Elincia swallows her resentment and sharpens her lance.

 

Princess Titania has granted Commander Ike lordship and peerage. They have all attended the ceremony, if it could be called that – just a few sentences and touches of a sword to his shoulders. Nevertheless, Ike knelt a mercenary and stood up a lord, and once again, Elincia found herself envious. Not of titles and privileges, but of the princess’ gaze, of being touched by a weapon held in the princess’ own hand. She thinks of the way the princess spoke the formula – it was as if she breathed new life and meaning into ancient words. Elincia considers herself lucky to have been there to hear it, and to hear these words directed at her feels like an unreachable dream.

Tanith, one of the Apostle’s Holy Guard, had approached her a few days ago. She said that she had noticed Elincia’s skill with a lance. The Begnion Pegasus Knights would be lucky to have her, Tanith had said, if she wished to join them after the war. Elincia lied that she would think about it. She doesn’t want to be a knight to anyone but to Princess Titania.

 

They pass Talrega. They take the capital of Daein. They press west, west, west.

When they cross Bridge Riven Elincia expects to feel a difference, a smell, a movement in the air, something that would tell them, _welcome home_. Nothing like that happens, of course, and she knows it wouldn’t make sense. The army is mostly soldiers from Begnion, and even among their mercenaries there are beorc and laguz of all backgrounds. Elincia thinks Princess Titania deserves a welcome from the land, though. Her old retainers have welcomed her and said that the people of Crimea have been awaiting her, that they are ready to accept her as a rightful queen. But Elincia thinks the country should respond to the princess’ return as well. King and queens rule not just the people, but the land as well, after all. Why is the earth itself not welcoming the princess like her people are?

Elincia forgets about this later, when she sees Princess Titania with her retainers again. She’s embracing them like old friends or family. She’s laughing, too. Elincia has never heard her laugh before. It’s light, melodious, and beautiful.

 

Before they attack Fort Nados, the princess dons armour herself. When Elincia sees her in it, strong and radiant, she’s reminded of the dress Princess Titania was wearing the day they had found her by the roadside. It was also white with gilded and silver adornments. Elincia thinks that no matter how the battle goes, there will be no blood or grime on it by the end of the day. Just like regular dirt, they wouldn’t dare touch the princess.

On a horse, an axe in hand, red hair slipping out of her braid and circling her face like a halo, Her Highness looks every inch the saviour of her land. She looks glorious and Elincia is reminded of the first time she saw her, of the suffocating awe she felt. Almost a year later, the princess’ strength and beauty still leave her breathless.

Elincia is certain that bards will write songs about this war and the victorious Queen Crimea. The Greil Mercenaries will, most likely, only get a short stanza of a mention. Elincia doesn’t mind that, or being forgotten by history altogether; if she has aided Princess Titania in any way, this is reward enough.

 

The war is over, king Ashnard is dead, and crowds cry _long live Queen Crimea_. The army is dispersing, people are going back to their villages, homes, families. The mercenaries stay longer. Commander Ike is seen by the Queen’s side during the coronation.

A few days after the ceremonies, Elincia sets about acquiring the privilege of an audience with the Queen. It takes less time to obtain it than she expected.

She enters the throne room almost furtively, feeling out of place more than ever. When she sees the Queen, she almost gasps. Seated on her throne, she looks more beautiful than ever; she is in her rightful, hard-won place. How different she is now from the time when she sat on an old chair in Commander Greil’s house. The throne looks impossibly far from the entrance, and Elincia makes faltering steps towards it. Her gaze is fixed on the floor ahead of her; she dare not look at the Queen. Not yet.

When she reaches the throne, she kneels before saying anything. It takes her a lot of force and determination to finally say, “Your Majesty.”

The Queen’s glory is a weight on her shoulders, almost; now Elincia understands that people kneel before royalty because they can’t support this burden.

“I wish to become a knight in your service, if you would grant me the privilege,” Elincia says. Her cheeks are burning.

There is a moment of silence, during which Elincia expects to be chased out of the room, the castle, the country. Then, the Queen speaks.

“I remember you from the mercenaries, Elincia.” Elincia cannot believe her luck. “Wouldn’t you rather stay with them? Ike has praised you many times.”

Elincia is glad to be kneeling, otherwise she would collapse right now. These words are more than she had ever dreamed of.

“My queen, I wish to serve you above all,” she replies.

“Very well, then,” the Queen says. Maybe Elincia imagines it, but her voice sounds softer now.

She hears the Queen’s dress rustle as she stands up from the throne, and then the sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard. Elincia’s breath stops and blood drains from her face. The sword the Queen keeps at her side is a heirloom that had served kings and queens of Crimea for generations. She doesn’t deserve to be touched with it.

The Queen approaches her, and Elincia briefly wishes to kneel even lower and kiss her feet. “In the name of House Crimea, I hereby grant you the title of a knight, and all the honours it conveys,” the Queen says. Elincia holds breath as she feels the blade touch her left shoulder, then the right one, then left again.

The weight of the blade gone, Elincia wakes up from her grateful fugue and realises she doesn’t know the protocol. She remembers that Commander Ike simply stood up, but she also knows that he never concerned himself with any protocols, known to him or not.

She lifts her head a little and sees that the Queen has extended her right hand to her. Elincia freezes, unsure, before she remembers what stories have told her about this moment. She breathes in deeply, takes the Queen’s hand in hers, closes her eyes, and lowers her lips to kiss her hand.

“You may rise now, Elincia,” the Queen says. “And you can look at me. I don’t want my knights to fear me.”

Elincia stands up, still unsteady on her feet from the dizzy feeling of joy. Then she obeys the Queen and looks straight at her.

The first thing she learns as a knight is how her Queen’s eyes gleam when she smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> another femtropebingo thing, this time for 'role reversal'! and a Gay Knight fic, the rite of passage of any fire emblem fic writer, as i've been led to believe. major thanks to tumblr user winedark for her input and encouragement!
> 
> the title is a paraphrase of a line from _the song of roland_ because i am shamelessly predictable.
> 
> elincia/titania for best green/red horseperson ship in all of fire emblem. please ship this with me. i am lonely.


End file.
